VALDOSTA — The escape room business model is to immerse customers in a theme or story and give them puzzles, challenges, clues and riddles to solve to escape from a “locked” room.

Co-owners Chad, Michelle, Mike and Debbie Everson brought the escape room experience to Valdosta last October with Epic Escape Rooms.

Chad and his wife, Michelle, went to an escape room in Tennessee and loved it, he said.

“We realized this is something our 16-year-old can do and our grandparents can do,” he said. “And everyone can participate. It is something a multi-generational family can do.”

The two thought it was something Valdosta could use and decided to bring it here.

The concept is that players come into the room where they attempt to escape without cell phones or outside help.

“There are no phones allowed,” Debbie said. “So people have to come in and interact with each other.”

Players are given a trunk to lock their cell phones and other personal items, Debbie said. Players are given the key to the trunk so they know their items are safe.

Players are moved into a briefing room where they are given the scenario for the room, Michelle said. The briefing room helps make the room more immersive and sets up the rules for the room.

Once in the room, players typically scour it for clues, Michelle said. After 15 minutes, the game master can provide a clue to help the players.

“There is a game master watching and listening at all times,” Debbie said. “The game master is their life line.”

Typically, players are given three clues, but Epic Escape Rooms gives players a fourth clue if they check into the business on Facebook, Debbie said.

From there, players try solving their way out of the rooms as if they are giant puzzles.

Epic Escape Rooms has three room set ups and plans to add two more by fall. The three rooms are the Mad Hatter, Escape the High Seas and Diplomat Secret. 

“The Mad Hatter is kind of our take on ‘Alice in Wonderland,” Michelle said. “Something edgy and different, it is a more creative room. Lots of color, lots of fun”

“High Seas is really immersive,” Debbie said. “When you walk in, you feel like you are in a pirate ship.”

“Diplomat Secret is like a spy mission,” Chad said. “That room is very sequential. It is our most challenging room. The only group that has gotten out of it on the first attempt was the Lowndes County High School Math Club. They only used two clues.”

“The rooms are designed for logical and creative thinkers,” Debbie said. “So the puzzles and clues are carried to attract different types of thinkers.”

“The whole goal is to be team oriented and to have people with different perspectives help solve the puzzles,” Michelle said.

The games are for small groups, but Epic Escape Rooms has had groups of 30 or 40 residents asking to do puzzles together. To meet the demand, it has started the Mega-Game.

“It’s an escape-room experience for larger groups,” Michelle said. “It is great for corporate team building, schools and churches. There’s nothing like putting people together on a time crunch, even if its imaginary, to see the personalities come out.”

The rooms are geared for ages 12 and up.

Epic Escape Rooms is located at 2533 N. Ashley St., Suite D, and is open 4-9:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, noon- 9:30 p.m. Saturday, has limited spaces Sunday and by appointment throughout the week.

Epic Escape Rooms does not accept walk-ins and players must book a room ahead of time.

All play-throughs are booked by calling (229) 561-4969, visiting www.epicescaperoomsvaldosta.com or finding Epic escape Rooms on Facebook.  

Jason Smith is a reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times. He can be contacted at 229-244-3400 ext.1256.